P.K. Subban reveals the real reason he was traded by the Canadiens.

Back in June of 2016 the Montreal Canadiens and the Nashville Predators pulled off one of the most shocking trades in modern National Hockey League history when they swapped a pair of star players in a one for one trade deal. Those players were Nashville Predators captain Shea Weber and Montreal Canadiens defenseman P.K. Subban, neither of whom seemed like players likely to be moved at the time.

While the trade was shocking from both sides, the fact that Subban had signed a massive extension with the Canadiens in August of 2014 and his popularity in the city of Montreal made the trade come as a major shock to the Canadiens fan base.

Years later the trade is still discussed in the city of Montreal and perhaps the biggest mystery of all is why former Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin felt compelled to make such a deal at the time.

During a recent interview Subban himself would reveal the real reasons he feels he was traded from Montreal, most of which he believes are centered around the fact that he was a high-profile celebrity athlete.

"The tradition with Montreal is that any star player that had big names or got bigger than the team, they trade them," revealed Subban last week. "What happened to me wasn't any different than the history."

Subban revealed that he may have contributed to the problem himself by trying to build up his own brand alongside that of the Canadiens, something that may have been an issue from the perspective of the Habs organization.

"When my career started out I developed my own brand, I started doing things, I had my own logo, I was wearing my own stuff and it was a big issue because 'We're paying you this to be a part of the Montreal Canadiens.'"

"I think that was the biggest issue when I started, I was developing my own fan base and my own audience," admitted Subban.

It would seem that Subban sought advice outside of the hockey world regarding this issue, even speaking to Los Angeles Lakers owner and team president Jeanie Buss about the issue. Buss felt that winning on the ice should take care of everything, but Subban feels that he wasn't give that benefit.

"And that wasn't always the case for me," said Subban. "Even though I won it was still an issue in the hockey world."

For the full interview with Subban you can check out the video below: